The present invention relates to bags useful in laundering processes, especially for laundering of shoes, such as athletic shoes. The shoe bags of the present invention are preferably used in combination with compositions for treating one or more shoes, and methods and articles of manufacture employing same to treat the shoes prior to and/or during and/or after washing the shoes for imparting a desired benefit to the shoes such as cleaning and/or conditioning and/or disinfecting and/or deodorizing.
Soiled and/or stained shoes, especially athletic shoes, have been a problem since the advent of shoes. Traditional attempts at cleaning soiled and/or stained shoes have included washing the soiled shoes manually in wash basins and/or sinks, with a conventional garden hose, clapping the shoes together to attempt to dislodge clay, mud and other dirt fixed to the shoes, or using a conventional washing machine with or without detergent being added. However, consumers have encountered less than satisfactory cleaning by these conventional methods. Further, consumers have witnessed the damage to the shoes as a result of employing these xe2x80x9charshxe2x80x9d conventional methods, especially when washing the shoes in a conventional washing machine. Examples of such problems include, but are not limited to, poor, less than satisfactory cleaning of the shoes and/or the ability of water and/or detergent to remove tanning agents and/or fatliquors from leather in the shoes resulting in loss of stability and/or softness and/or suppleness and/or flexibility.
Cleaning represents a significant and largely unmet consumer need for shoes, especially shoes that contain canvas, nylon, mesh, synthetic leather and/or natural leather surfaces, particularly leather-containing shoes, such as athletic shoes. Athletic shoes are worn not just for athletic use but also for casual use both indoor and outdoor. The outdoor and athletic use of these shoes can lead to significant soiling of these shoes. For instance, dirt, mud, and clay soils may soil these when worn outdoors for either sporting or casual use. Similarly, grass stains and soils may soil these shoes under similar circumstances. A particular problem for cleaning shoes is that unlike many xe2x80x9cdressxe2x80x9d or formal shoes, the outer parts of the athletic shoes may consist of leather or fabrics or combinations of the two. Most formal shoes have a glossy smooth outside surface and are generally not as heavily soiled as athletic shoes often are. Thus for the formal shoes, wiping with a damp cloth is often sufficient to clean these shoes under most circumstances. Unlike most formal shoes with glossy smooth outside finishes, the athletic shoes are more heavily soiled and that soil is often more difficult to remove because of the many types of outer coverings for the athletic shoes. In particular, it is difficult to simply wipe the off the soil from the fabric parts in these shoes. Similarly the soil from the rough or uneven plastic, synthetic or rubber surfaces found on the bottom portions of these shoes is also often difficult to remove. As such, a better method for cleaning athletic shoes is needed and is highly desirable.
Further, while not wishing to be bound by theory, it is believe that the conventional washing of shoes in water and/or detergent-containing water has deleterious effects on the shoes, especially leather-containing shoes because among other reasons, the loss of fatliquors and/or oils and/or tanning agents such as chromium from the leather.
Conventional washing of shoes in an automatic clothes washing machine damages the shoes as a result of the shoes coming into contact with the agitator in the washing machine and/or walls of the washing machine and/or with other articles, such as other shoes, being washed. Without being bound by theory, it is believed that such contact can damage the paint on the shoes as well as damage other surfaces and/or components of the shoes.
Accordingly, there is a need for compositions for treating shoes and methods employing same to treat shoes prior to and/or during and/or after washing the shoes; compositions used prior to and/or during and/or after washing the shoes for imparting one or more benefits to the shoes such as cleaning and/or conditioning and/or disinfecting and/or deodorizing; compositions for treating shoes that provide effective cleaning without significant damage, if any, to the shoes; methods for cleaning shoes that provides satisfactory cleaning of the shoes in the eyes of the consumer; methods for conditioning shoes such that the damage to the shoes as a result of the cleaning is mitigated if not prevented; methods for disinfecting the shoes to provide an overall xe2x80x9ccleanxe2x80x9d shoe; compositions for cleaning and/or conditioning and/or disinfecting the shoes particularly useful in the methods of the present invention; and articles of manufacture that use such treating composition.
The methods, compositions and articles of manufacture of the present invention fulfill the needs described above. The present invention relates to methods for treating shoes, especially shoes that contain canvas, nylon, mesh, synthetic leather and/or natural leather surfaces, particularly leather-containing shoes such as athletic shoes, compositions useful in the methods of the present invention and articles of manufacture that use the compositions to treat shoes.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a treating composition for treating one or more shoes in need of treatment comprising an effective amount of one or more benefit agents, preferably selected from the group consisting of cleaning agents, conditioning agents, disinfecting agents, odor control agents and mixtures thereof, more preferably selected from the group consisting of conditioning agents and optionally, but preferably one or more additional benefit agents, wherein when the treating composition is applied to the one or more shoes prior to and/or during and/or after washing the one or more shoes one or more desired benefits is imparted to the one or more shoes, is provided.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a treating system for treating one or more shoes in need of treatment comprising:
a) a cleaning composition comprising one or more cleaning agents capable of being applied in a manner such that the one or more cleaning agents contacts one or more exterior surfaces of the one or more shoes; and
b) a conditioning composition physically and/or chemically separated from the cleaning composition of a) wherein the conditioning composition comprises one or more conditioning agents capable of being applied in a manner such that the one or more conditioning agents contacts one or more interior surfaces of the one or more shoes;
such that the cleaning composition and/or conditioning composition imparts cleaning and/or conditioning benefits to the one or more shoes when the cleaning composition and/or conditioning composition are applied to the one or more shoes prior to and/or during and/or after washing the one or more shoes, is provided.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a treating composition for treating one or more shoes in need of treatment comprising:
a) one or more cleaning agents; and
b) one or more conditioning agents
wherein cleaning benefits and/or conditioning benefits are imparted to the one or more shoes when the treating composition is applied to the one or more shoes prior to and/or during and/or after washing the one or more shoes, is provided.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for treating one or more shoes in need of treatment comprising contacting the one or more shoes with one or more treating compositions of the present invention, and optionally, but preferably washing the one or more shoes, such that the one or more shoes are treated, is provided.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for treating one or more shoes in need of treatment comprising the steps, preferably sequential steps of:
a) applying a treating composition in accordance with the present invention to a shoe;
b) placing the shoe in a bag;
c) placing the bag in a washing machine; and
d) operating the washing machine as prescribed by the manufacturer is provided.
In accordance with still yet another aspect of the present invention, an article of manufacture comprising a treating composition for treating one or more shoes comprising one or more benefit agents in a package in association with instructions for use which direct a consumer to apply at least an effective amount of the one or more benefit agents to provide one or more desired benefits to the one or more shoes.
In accordance with still yet another aspect of the present invention, a product comprising a benefit agent-containing treating composition, the product further including instructions for using the treating composition to treat a shoe in need of treatment, the instructions including the step of: contacting said shoe with an effective amount of said treating composition for an effective amount of time such that said composition treats said shoe, is provided.
In accordance with still yet another aspect of the present invention, a shoe treatment composition in kit form in accordance with the present invention, comprises the following components:
a) an article of manufacture comprising a treating composition for treating one or more shoes comprising one or more benefit agents in a package in association with instructions for use which direct a consumer to apply at least an effective amount of the one or more benefit agents to provide one or more desired benefits to the one or more shoes;
b) a flexible container, preferably reusable flexible container, suitable for holding one or more of the shoes; and
c) an outer package containing the components a) and b); is provided.
All percentages and proportions herein are by weight, and all references cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference, unless otherwise specifically indicated.